


Grading on Potential

by celli



Series: Babysitting'verse [12]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-09-11
Updated: 2003-09-11
Packaged: 2017-10-19 00:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/194769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celli/pseuds/celli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saying Hope struggled in math was a bit like saying Lex and his father had had their differences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grading on Potential

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trinaest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinaest/gifts).



> Set ten years after Almost the American President.

"Dad! Dad! Dadadadadadad!" Hope's feet thunked on the stairs in time to her consonants.

Lex stopped halfway in the door and watched her rattle down the stairs. "Yes?" he said warily. His last conversation with her had included the words "dropping out of high school" and "no way in hell." Also--he narrowed his eyes--had she just called him "Dad?"

"Come on!" She grabbed his elbow and hauled him down the hall and into the kitchen.

Clark was there, leaning against the counter. He was eating half a sandwich and nudging the cat away from the rest of it. "Don't ask me," he said before Lex could even give him a meaningful look. "She wanted to wait for you."

"Uh-huh." Lex took his place next to Clark, snatched the other half of the sandwich off the counter, and finally remembered to set his briefcase down. "No, Tuna," he said automatically. Tuna meowed and bumped his back with her head.

"Okay, Hope," Clark said. To his credit, he sounded much less cranky than Lex would have. "We're all here. Spill."

"Right." Hope laced her fingers before her and took a deep breath. She looked oddly demure, even with the bright blue streaks in her hair and the silver skull rings on both thumbs. "Clark, Lex, you know that I've been struggling in math lately."

Lex opened his mouth, then closed it again when Clark's foot came down hard on his. They needed to have a talk about that. Again. "Hmmm," he said neutrally.

Saying Hope struggled in math was a bit like saying Lex and his father had had their differences. Two years earlier, in the seventh grade, Hope had declared algebra unlearnable and herself math stupid. No amount of pleading or tutoring (Lex, Clark, and Laura had all tried) or surreptitiously testing for learning disorders had helped. Hope had limped along. Her grades in the math classes had been just bad enough that no one could hold her back, solid low Cs when everything else was As and Bs.

Lex was sure it was just a coincidence that Hope had started referring to him and Clark by their given names at the same time. Adolescence, identity issues, etcetera etcetera. But he still had malevolent thoughts every time he saw an algebraic equation.

This year was geometry. It had been the worst. She couldn't do spatial visualization, Hope said. The stupid proofs didn't make any sense, she insisted. And she was too stupid to be helped.

They had finally decided to leave her alone. "Either she'll fail or she won't," Lex said after an argument that had literally made his ears ring. "Let it go."

Lex was horrible at letting things go.

It took him a minute to focus on the paper Hope was dancing in front of his face. He squinted. "What is this, kiddo?"

"It's my final! My geometry final!" Hope was bouncing on her heels. "Mine!"

He squinted more. "That's an A plus."

"I know. I know! I studied for two whole days before it. I read the book through twice. I made pages and pages of notes and diagrams and stuff. And look! I set the curve on the final!"

Clark laughed out loud and spun Hope right off her feet. "That's fantastic! I can't believe you did all that studying and we didn't know!"

She grinned. "I had the music up loud so you wouldn't come look. I didn't know if it would work, and I didn't want to tell you guys in case it didn't. Anyway, surprise! And you know what else? I got a B plus for the whole year. My teacher said she likes to grade on potential."

Lex had never, never smiled as widely before. "Well, then, you've got it made, don't you?" He threw an arm around her, but kept the test in one hand so he could see it. Behind him, even Tuna was purring with joy. "My kid, she's got nothing but potential."


End file.
